The UFC is looking for someone to step up and fight Vicente Luque on short notice this Saturday at UFC Rochester.
Just as fight week is beginning, UFC Rochester has lost its co-main event.
Neil Magny has pulled out of his welterweight bout against Vicente Luque for undisclosed reasons, MMAjunkie.com reported Monday evening. UFC officials have yet to confirm the news.
The promotion is looking for a replacement opponent to fight Luque on short notice, per the report.
Luque most recently stopped Bryan Barberena in a “Fight of the Year” candidate in February at UFC Phoenix. The heavy-handed Brazilian is riding a four-fight winning streak, which also includes finishes of Chad Laprise and Niko Price. Luque, 27, is 8-2 in the UFC; he made his debut in the promotion four years ago.
Magny is more experienced than Luque, but has had mixed results over the past few years. The 31-year-old is coming off a TKO loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio in the UFC Bueno Aires main event late last year. Magny holds notable wins over Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Kelvin Gastelum, and Hector Lombard, and notable losses to Rafael dos Anjos and Lorenz Larkin.
UFC Rochester takes place Saturday night at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York. In the main event, former lightweight champ dos Anjos welcomes Kevin Lee to the 170-pound division.